1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cleaning brushes, in particular this invention relates to cleaning brushes that are passed down the centre of pipes to clean the internal surfaces thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Pipe cleaning brushes for cleaning the inside of pipes are well known in the art and typically comprise a body and a plurality of bristles extending radially from the body. As the assembly is passed down a pipe the bristles clean the interior of the pipe.
As the passage of the cleaning devices down the centre of a pipe is dependent on the frictional contact between the bristles and the pipe wall such devices are sized to form a desired fit with a desired pipe internal diameter.
If the devices need to pass around corners in pipes then typically the body may be sprung along its axial end so that the ends of the device can resiliently move relative to one another. Furthermore the fixed size of such devices results in increased friction and the possibility of the device getting jammed where, for example seam weld lines project radially into the pipe or where there is a large build up of solids on the interior surface of the pipe.
Some devices are modular in nature and enable circular sections of the device comprising part of the body and some radially arranged bristles on to be removed and replaced, for example if they become damaged. However such removal is complex and typically requires substantive disassembly of the device in order for the section to be removed.